Visualizing response to DNA damage in bacteria

The basis of this thesis has been the curiosity, however modest, to understand how DNA replication happens in vivo, particularly during the onset of DNA damage and beyond. DNA damage is a recurring phenomenon, which a (bacterial) cell faces in its lifetime from the environment or even its inherent metabolism. While we understand much about...

In vivo investigations of E. coli chromosomal replication using single-molecule imaging

All living organisms pass on their genetic information to their offspring in the form of DNA or RNA molecules by duplicating them across generations. In the bacteria, their genes are packed in long chains of DNA molecules or chromosomes. One of the widely studied model organisms, Escherichia coli, replicates its circular chromosome in two...

What is all this fuss about Tus?: Comparison of recent findings from biophysical and biochemical experiments

Synchronizing the convergence of the two-oppositely moving DNA replication machineries at specific termination sites is a tightly coordinated process in bacteria. In Escherichia coli, a “replication fork trap” – found within a chromosomal region where forks are allowed to enter but not leave – is set by the protein–DNA roadblock Tus–Ter. The...